Osmani: LVV support for opposition will not affect the election process

Northern Macedonia Foreign Affairs Minister Bujar Osmani said that the inclusion of Kosovo's official policy on the Albanian political scene in northern Macedonia, “will not influence the election process”, but “can be reflected in the fragmentation of Albanian politics, tendency promoted by external factors”.

Osman made these comments after meeting in Skopje on January 17th with Albania's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani, who stressed the importance of unification not only as Albanians but also all progressive powers in the region for the common future of the Western Balkans in the European family”.

Osman's estimates followed the ongoing reactions in northern Macedonia after the ruling Kosovo party, Vetevendosje (LVV), has decided to be part of the Albanian opposition coalition in northern Macedonia, known as the European League for Change (LEN).

This was announced on December 24th 2023 during a ceremony to open opposition offices in Skopje, attended by representatives of the Vetevendosje Movement.

Macedonian diplomacy chief Bujar Osmani, who is also deputy chairman of the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), said that “tens like this” had occurred earlier, while recalling the case of Blerim Reka from Skopje, which the Albanian opposition had appointed candidate for president of Northern Macedonia in the 2019 elections, at whose gatherings had also had representatives of the Vetevendosje Movement.

After the election ended, Blerim Reka continued operations in Kosovo, and on February 3, 2020, he was appointed European Integration Minister in the government led by Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti.

This is nothing new, as such efforts for direct support have already had, as was the case with a candidate for president, who was later minister in the Government of Kosovo. From Kosovo's top exhibit, he received support at other gatherings and organisations. But this showed that the political scene of Albanians in northern Macedonia is consolidation. And just as it didn't, I don't expect it to have any effect now”, chief diplomat Osmani said.

Unequivocally, Osman also spoke of the external “entens to fragmentation of the political scene of Albanians in northern Macedonia to smaller political parties”, which, according to him, “will enable the power of their proper representation in the state”.

“Fradmentation of the Albanian political scene in smaller political parties weakens the power of proper representation in the state because there has been a tendency often driven by external factors, but little by internal dynamics that Albanians in northern Macedonia organise in every city, have political parties, every city have its own political leader and deal with each other, so that they don't have a common political platform, that at the state level it represents Albanians and conveys their political will to the 481x> Osmani said.

In addition, he said such practices are not good, as “any legitimacy of participation in other states with their political parties, including Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and others, could shake the dynamics located here, reflecting on interethnic and political relations”.

Earlier, the prime minister of Northern Macedonia had reacted, simultaneously to Social Democratic League Chairman Dimitar Kovacevski, expressing “surprised”, as in his opinion, there have been cases in the past when foreign parties supported parties as sisters in elections of other countries, but not even participate themselves.

The Vetevendosje Movement is not registered as a political subject in Northern Macedonia, but co-operation between it and the three opposition parties -- Movement Besa, the Alternative Party and the Democratic Movement -- is expected to be concreteised with joint lists for parliamentary elections, which will be held on May 8th of Northern Macedonia.

Under the Northern Macedonia Election Code, only the registered parties in the central register can participate in the elections. While the electoral list may contain the name of any coalition, as is the European League for Change, but within it the names of political parties forming the coalition must be highlighted.

The European Movement for Change lists for MPs are expected to include Bekim Qoku, adviser to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Qoku on 24 December in Skopje, at the Albanian opposition rally, indicated that the Vetevendosje Movement will be the fourth opposition coalition party, in order to bring, as he said, the missing “change of” in northern Macedonia.